Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Current WWE Feud

On paper, having Dolph Ziggler welcome Baron Corbin to the WWE main roster by way of an intense, back-and-forth feud made sense. The result hasn't been what WWE Creative had to be hoping for, though.

Corbin is looking strong as an indignant, prowling predator. Ziggler, as usual, is excelling at making his opponent look good. However, the rivalry is just not clicking.

Blame a strange narrative arc, not taking advantage of a key opportunity at Extreme Rules and WWE making this such a low priority.

The Lone Wolf is poised to devour Ziggler and wrap this story up soon. As tepid as things have become, both men will likely be glad to move on.

The Good

As much as some fans want to see Dolph Ziggler in a headlining spot, WWE continually makes him a steppingstone for others. It's something he does well. So, pairing Ziggler with Baron Corbin when The Lone Wolf arrived onto the WWE scene was smart.

Ziggler has helped Corbin look like a beast in the ring, bouncing around and walking on wobbly legs during each collision with the powerhouse.

Early on, the intensity level was high between these two. Their first encounter on the night after WrestleMania saw them brawl in the stands. Corbin soon ambushed Ziggler; The Showoff returned the favor in late April.

The rivalry has kept Corbin on TV and given him a foe to focus on—something fellow NXT transplant Apollo Crews has desperately needed.

Corbin has benefited from the dynamic of this feud too. He's the bigger man against the perpetual underdog. He's the WWE-supported prototypical Superstar against the indy darling—the rookie against the ring general.

The Bad

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin seems to be the story WWE attends to once all the important rivalries have been placed on TV and pay-per-view. 

Several shows have passed without the two enemies getting airtime. Most notably, on the Extreme Rules go-home Raw, the story did not advance. WWE simply announced offhand that these two would clash in a No Disqualification bout.

Their last two PPV bouts were relegated to the pre-show. That's a clear signal to the audience that this story isn't significant.

Additionally, there hasn't been an established set of stakes.

There has been talk of Ziggler saying Corbin can't beat him in a technical matchup and that he steals the show, but not enough of Corbin wanting to prove himself or looking to step on Ziggler en route to bigger things. And with the vendetta part of the narrative fading of late, it's feeling more and more like a hollow feud.

The Ugly

Whereas Dolph Ziggler's battle with Baron Corbin began with plenty of bad blood, much of that has dissipated. 

Ziggler's victory in their first pay-per-view match by roll-up didn't help. Corbin didn't retaliate with a post-match beatdown or leave The Showoff lying the next time either.

At Extreme Rules in a No Disqualification match, not a single weapon was used. The only extreme part of the fight was Corbin hitting his opponent with a low blow.

That bout was a chance to show how much these men hate each other, but WWE chose instead to have a standard match featuring standard animosity.

Things haven't escalated as one would expect. By the time the two men confronted each other backstage on Monday's Raw, it felt as if things had reverted back to the beginning in terms of animosity.

These two weren't seething at each other; they were mildly irritated.

It's hard to invest in this story at this point. It's plodding along with little direction.

Projections

This story will soon end. Count on one more pay-per-view match between Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler, likely on Money in the Bank's pre-show.

The Lone Wolf will get the win in a decent match. After all, the purpose of this rivalry is presumably to elevate Corbin. It will to a point, but because of a lack of electricity leading up to the climax, it won't be as memorable as it could have been.

WWE is sure to inch the narrative along between now and June 19. Don't expect much in the way of advancement, as this feud will fall below several others in terms of priority. WWE has to sell fans the Money in the Bank ladder match, as well as infuse Seth Rollins and John Cena back into the lineup.

Corbin will best Ziggler one last time and move on. More engaging fare will hopefully await The Lone Wolf afterward.